An executive from Swatch has confirmed that the company is targeting to release its first smartwatch device, the Touch Zero One, in August of this year.
This will mark the Swiss timepiece maker's official entry into the wearable device industry, according to NDTV.
Nick Hayek, the chief executive of Swatch, made the announcement during a company meeting. However, the executive did not go into detail regarding the specific release date of the smartwatch or the other areas where it will debut.
Hayek only noted that the device will first be released in Switzerland and another country. Although he did not name the other country, he said that it is a major region, Ubergizmo has learned.
Other countries will probably receive the Swatch Touch Zero One weeks or months after its official launch. The upcoming smartwatch is expected to go on sale with a retail price of around $160.
The Swatch Touch Zero One was officially introduced to the public in April of this year. According to the company, the wearable device will primarily function as a fitness tracker tool.
Although the device will be able to track a user's fitness progress, such as amount of calories burned and distance jogged, its main function will cater to volleyball players.
One feature of the device lets users keep track of how many times they've hit the ball in a single match based on various attack points such as power hits, high fives, low hits and high hits. After analyzing the collected data, the device will then rank the users' skills as a volleyball player using a scale from zero to 100, The Verge reported.
As to why Swatch designed its smartwatch to appeal to a very specific market, it probably has something to do with the company being the primary sponsor for the international volleyball tournament, the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour.
